The life of Omer G. Voss

Born September 14, 1916, on a farm in Downs, Kansas, Omer G. Voss grew up in Phillips County where his father worked for the Sheriff’s Department. He attended grade school in Long Island and high school in Phillipsburg, Kansas. Mr. Voss was a beloved husband to his late wife of 69 years, Annabelle K. Voss, and a loving father of Jerrol Ann (Hermann) Pohl and Omer G. Voss, Jr.

After graduating in 1937 with a Political Science degree from Fort Hays Kansas State College (now Fort Hays State University), Mr. Voss earned a Doctor of Law degree from the University of Kansas two years later and achieved valedictorian of his Law School class. As a varsity debater at both universities, he was a member of the Pi Kappa Delta and Delta Sigma Rho debate fraternities.

Mr. Voss was an avid horseshoe player, good enough to be the Kansas state champion for several years. Even in recent years, Omer would tell Tim Chapman, President and CEO of the FHSU Foundation, that Tim could never beat him in horseshoes or at typing, as Omer was reportedly clocked at typing an astounding 132 words per minute.